Water-wave comb



March 19, 1929. a. A. BEATTIE w ,706,136

WATER WAVE COMB Original Filed Sept: 11, 1925 l 'atentecl Mar. 19, 1929.

UNITED STATES BEB'II-IA A. BEATTIE, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

WATER-WAVE COMB.

Application filed September 11,1925, Serial No. 55,709. Renewed August G, 1928.

This invention relates to Womens hair combs and more particularly to improved combs of this type for forming hair waves, known commercially as water wavers or water wave combs.

- The beauty of womens hair is greatly enhanced by producing a Wave therein and at the present time what is known as a permanent wave, lasting for six months or more, may be obtained at the beauty shops, but only by remaining a considerable time at the shop, during which time the head is subjected to great discomfort, and a considerable expense is involved. This has led to the practice of producing a temporary hair wave by wetting the hair and holding it in a wavy condition until it dries by means of combs having the general form of the curved side combs used generally by women but made somewhat longer. By this means a very satisfactory wave may be produced on keeping the combs in place over-night; It is ditficult to maintain the combs in place for this length of time, even when they are provided with crimped or Wavy teeth. It becomes necessary,-therefore, to use some additional means for holding the combs in place during the period that the wet, waved hair is dryin Purchasers of the Water wave combs areadvised to draw a net or other covering over the hair to keep the combs in place, or to use elastic bands or hair pins if they slip. These expedientsare unhandy and are found to be unsatisfactory to prevent slipping of the combs.

The object of the present invention is to do away with the necessity of providing extraneous means for holding a water Wave comb in place. It will be recognized that to gain the desired end there must be a positive grip of the comb on the hair, so firm and secure that slipping isimpossible. It is proposed to provide the comb itself with such hair gripping means and thus have a unitary self-contained article of manufacture that may be placed in the desired position in the hair and, by a simple manipulation, be maintained in that position for the required length of time. Accordingly an important feature of the invention comprises a hair gripper or hair locking device that is carried by and forms a part of the comb, adapted to be open, or in an inactive position, at the time the comb is placed in the hair and then closed upon the hair after the comb is in position.

Preferably such a hair grip or look is provided at each end of the comb and is designed to embrace the end teeth thus holding strands of the hair firmly between the locking element and one or both sides of the comb.

To the accomplishment of this object the invention comprises the co-operating elements and features, hereinafter described in detail, but pointed out in its true scope in the appended claims.

The best forms of the invention at present known to me are illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a water wave comb provided with my improvement, the hair gripping elements being shown in inactive position; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one end of the comb, showing a hair gripper closed upon the end teeth of the comb; i E is a view, in front elevation, of one end of the comb, illustrating by dotted lines the manner in which the hair gripper is manipulated to piace it in hair binding position on the comb; Fig. 4- is a view, in end elevation, of another form of gripper for binding the hair to the comb; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, in elevation, illustrating one manner in which the gripper of Fig. at may be formed to lock on the comb teeth; and Fig. (3 is a view illustrating how the novel water wave combs are placed in the hair while producing the desired wave.

In the form of the invention illustrated by Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, the comb 10 may be of the usual shape, size and material of the water wa vers sold commercially, since the novel feature of the present invention may be used with success upon any such comb. The comb 10 is provided, preferably although not necessarily, at each end, with hair gripping or comb retaining members 12 and 14. Since these members are alike, except that one is right and the other left, the description will be confined to the member 12 that is illustrated in detail by Figs. 2 and 3.

Before proceeding with the detailed description of the manner in which the comb is held in place without danger of loosening, the manner in which a plurality of the combs are positioned for producing waves in the hair. will be described. Referring to Fig. 6 it will be observed that a number of combs are inserted in the hair at each side of the head the hair having first been wet. The first comb, on one side, is placed in the hair near the hair part with the back 15 outward. The next comb of the series isplaced in the hair below the first comb and is pushed forward under the first comb until the intermediate hair is puffed outward between the combs into a wave. The remaining combs, on both sides, are similarly placed to produce successive waves. The combs are often placed in staggered relation. Users of these water wavers have found that as the hair dries the combs slip. out of place destroying the waves, so that hair pins and other makeshift devices are used to hold the combs in place. In accordance with the present invention the comb itself is provided with integral means for engaging the hair and obtaining a sufficient grip thereon successfully to maintain the waved condition of the hair throughout the entire drying period.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 and Stile comb back 15 is provided at its end with a pair of lugs 16 between which is pivoted one end of a bar 18. The hair locking device is thus secured permanently to the comb, forming a unitary article and overcoming the disadvantages of employing unconnected hair locking devices. It will be observed that-th'e bar 18 lies above and substantially parallel to the teeth of the comb but that the pivot permits it to be freely lifted away from the teeth. Both bars are so lifted while the comb is being inserted in the hair to prevent enta'ngling at this time (see Fig. 1). Near the outer end of the bar 18, but at a less distance from the pivot than the length of the teeth, is a locking member 20. The member 20 is in the form of ahook that is adapted to embrace one or more of the end teeth of the comb 10 when in locking position (see Fig. 2). The bar 18, in the form illustrated, is formed of material, preferably the same ma terial as that of which the comb is made, that has sufficient inherent flexibility to permit the bar to be sprung sidewise beyond the end of the comb, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, where the hook member 20 can clear the comb end and then snap inward over the edge of the comb end. The locking slot of the hook member 20 is provided, preferably, with a flaring mouth 22 best shown by Fig. 1, that permits the member to be guided easily over one or more of the end teeth, according to the depth of the slot. The width of the slot beyond the mouth 22 is preferably slightly nar' rower than the thickness of the comb teeth so thata slight pressure has to be applied to place the member 20 in its locking position. This narrowed portion may assist in holding the entire hair locking device from displacement by entering the space between two comb teeth. When the membel's 20 are in locking position, as shown by the full lines of Fig. 3, the strands of hair at the ends of the combthat lie across the mouths 22 are tightly gripped by being clamped against the comb thus preventing the comb from slipping backward from the position that maintains the wave in the hair. The bar 18 may extend beyond the member 20 to form a handle 24 for manipulating the hair locking device.

It will be observed also that the body of the bar 18 will serve to clamp the hair against the face of thecomb. .Itwill be observed also that a feature of importance lies in attaching one of these hair-gripping devices to each end of the comb, asit is highly important to prevent any comb from working loose or materially changing its position relative to the combs at each side, especially when a set of combs is worn while sleeping. To hold a series of these combs positively positioned in the hair to hold the intermediate tresses in wave formation requires, as is obvious, a very positive gripping of the hair at both ends of the comb; this function is performed efiiciently by my device.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the locking bars 26 perform the same function as the locking bars 18 but the comb'teeth are gripped at a difierent place. In this form of'the invention each bar 26 is bent upon itself about the front or toothed edge of the comb forming a. hook 28 that presses uponthecomb teeth and grips the adjacent strands of hair thereagainst when in the position shown in Fig. 4. The bar 26 is sufficiently flexible tobe-removed from locking position by springing it sidewise as in the case of the bar 18. The hook 28 may have a spade-like end 30 Fig. 5) to assist in clamping the hair against the comb, and it may be provided witlran inner protuberance to enter between two teeth and thus aid in preventing displacement while the comb is in use. 1

The advantages of the permanently attached hair gripping devices 12 and 14, and

their ease of manipulation in locking the.

comb in the hair and unlocking it for removal will readily be recognized by all users of water Wavers.

WVhile the novel features of the present invention have been explained and illustrated, as being of especialadvantage when applied to water wavers, those skilled in the art will spaced and so are constantly slipping when in use.v Heavy braid and fancy hair pins fall also in this category. An eflicient hair lock onany of these hair retainers is highly desirable. Furthermore the hair goods houses now sell their cover-bobs, switches, curls and other fancy hair dressings with one or more very small combs attached so that the article may immediately be applied by the purchaser. The provision of the hair gripping feature of the present invention, on these small combs for fastening such fancy hair dressings to the head, will enable the hair dressing to be securely locked to the natural hair and effectually prevent displacement of the additional hair. Accordingly the invention, in its broader aspects, is applicable to any hair retainer, the value of which to the user may be enhanced by the knowledge that it will not slip after having once been placed in the desired position on the head, all of which is within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and the preferred embodiments having been specifically described, what is claimed as new, is

1. A womans hair comb provided with a hair-locking device consisting of two bars each being attached by one end to the back of the comb and adapted to swing each inde pendently of the other freely about its attached end to and from a position substantially parallel to the teeth of the comb, means being provided at the free end of each bar for embracing the front and back sides of at least one ofsaid teeth when in said substantially parallel position to lock each bar against individual displacement.

2. A womans hair comb provided with a hair locking device at each end thereof in the form of a bar overlying the front side of the comb and pivoted at one end to the back thereof, each bar having a formation at its other end adapted to embrace both sides of the end tooth of the comb when in hair looking position.

3. A womans hair comb provided with a hair locking device at each end thereof in the form of a bar overlying the front side of the comb and secured by one end to the back thereof, each bar having a formation at its other end adapted to embrace both sides of the comb when in hair locking position and each bar having suficient flexibility to per mit of its movement laterally to a position beyond the adjacent end of the comb to disengage it therefrom.

4. A womans hair-comb having a hairlocking device at each end thereof, said hairlocking device consisting of a bar pivotally attached to the front face of the back of the comb so as to be adapted to swing toward and from the front face of the teeth of the comb, the free end of said bar being provided with means for engaging and embracing one of the teeth of the comb to thereby positively lock the device in hair-gripping position.

5. In a womans hair comb construction a hair locking member comprising a bar pivoted by one end to the back of the comb and a member at the other end of the bar having a hooklike formation with its open mouth facing inward, said bar being sufficiently flexible to permit said member to be sprung past the end of the comb and then to move inward about the end teeth thereof.

6. The combination with a womans hair comb of a hair locking device comprising two slotted hair gripping members secured to the comb, one at each end thereof, and movable relatively to the comb to be engaged and disengaged with the end teeth at each end of the comb.

7. The combination with a womans hair comb of an attached hair locking device comprising slotted hair gripping members for embracing the end teeth at each end of the comb said members being movable lengthwise of the comb to release them from said teeth.

8. The combination with a womans hair comb of an attached hair locking device comprising slotted hair gripping members for embracing the end teeth at each end of the comb said members being movable lengthwise of the comb to release them from said teeth and also away from said teeth to prevent entangling the hair when inserting the comb therein.

9. A womans water-wave comb structure embodying a curved comb having attached to each of its ends a hair-gripping device freely movable from and toward the comb for unobstructed insertion of the comb in the hair when in the former position and for pressing the hair against the face of the comb when in the latter position, and a member on each device engageable about the outer ends of the comb to lock said devices to the comb during the time the hair is gripped thereby, whereby a series of these combs may be so placed in the hair as to form puffs between them and positively locked thereto, that they will maintain the puffs while the hair is drym TO. A womans hair-comb having a hairlocking device at each end thereof, said hairlocking devices each consisting of a bar pivotally attached to the back of the comb so as to be adapted to swing toward and from the teeth of the comb, the free end of said bar being provided with means for engaging and embracing one of the teeth of the comb to thereby positively lock the device in hairgripping position.

BERTHA A. BEATTIE. 

